Modern society is going through a period when a person with his personal principles ex alts himself above social norms of morality. Such a process is due to the cultural trends that have evolved over the centuries.
Regardless of the country or continent, there are a number of identical elements of the mentality. Such factors are the "culprits" of human alienation from moral norms. This whole process leads to the fact that society forgets some moral categories that characterize certain people. For example, the word "hero". For many years now, people have been asking questions about the meaning of this word and the characteristics of the person it describes.
Who is a hero?
This concept can be viewed from several thematic points of view. Each of them represents the concept under consideration in a different way. In the most classic version, a hero is a person who has special qualities that help him rise above all other people. He has valor and courage in the maximum meaning of these words. Each of his actions is based on a deep awareness of his activity and its necessity.
This characteristic causes special requirements for the hero as a personmore significant than all the others. The classical definition refers to the very first point of view. It represents the meaning of the word "hero" from the position that this is an ordinary person. But there are other interpretations of this word - mythological, literary (dramatic) and philosophical.
Mythological point of view
The meaning of the word "hero" can vary depending on different contexts. The mythological point of view implies the consideration of the hero as a person who lived in a special era. Basically, all the stories about outstanding personalities came to us from the myths and legends of ancient Hellas. The heroes of Greek stories possessed supernatural powers and were most often demigods. The presented facts make it possible to derive the concept of the term "hero". This is a man endowed with supernatural power. He is in an eternal struggle with evil (monsters, evil kings, titans, gods, etc.).
Also answering the question of who a hero is will help understanding the appearance of such a person from the point of view of mythological theory. According to ancient stories, heroes appeared from parents, one of whom was a god. In the future, children received supernatural powers, but not the immortality of their extraterrestrial parents. There are cases in history when the gods accepted heroes for their significant merits into their circle, thereby giving them eternal life as a gift (for example, Loki, Hercules, Asclepius, etc.).
A hero is a key figure between the worlds of gods and people. He is in constant confrontation with the forces of evil in order to ensurethe safety of all mortals. As we can see, the mythological point of view makes it possible to highlight more than the only meaning of the word "hero", which significantly helps to get closer to the full understanding of this term.
Glorious Age
There is a whole theory about the heroes and the time when they lived. According to her, between the Bronze and Iron Ages there was a heroic one. At this time, people called heroes exterminated all the titans, monsters and other deified creatures. The era ends with two famous wars. This is the campaign of the Seven against Thebes and the Trojan War. In them, outstanding fighters destroyed each other. Such a theory largely explains the mythological meaning of the word "hero". A deep conceptual explanation is given, confirmed by historical facts and stories from the ancient Greek epic. In the context of the theory, a hero is far from being an ordinary person who lived long before modern civilization.
Heroes in Philosophy
A completely opposite understanding of the word "hero" is given in philosophy. Scientists working in this field are famous for the fact that they know any element of modernity meaningfully and deeply, delving into the very essence. By their standards, a hero is an ordinary person who makes self-sacrifice for the sake of his neighbor, regardless of his well-being. Thus, in a philosophical sense, any individual can be a hero. He must not have any supernatural powers or be the son of a god.
It should also be noted that the meaning of the word "hero" has changed over time. ATeach era had its own understanding of the term in question. This leads to the fact that people of different times created their own image of the hero. If we could travel in time, then representatives of different eras would answer the question of who a hero is in different ways.
The meaning of the word "hero" in literature, cinema and theater
The term in question has another meaning. Each of us has heard the expression "protagonist". It means the character around whom the whole plot of a literary, theatrical or cinematic work revolves. Such a hero is an image; he is not necessarily a person at all. It all depends on the idea of the author of the work. This character is called the protagonist.
The main character plays a significant role in the entire work. Based on his qualities, the whole plot is being built. By the way, there is no mandatory requirement that the protagonist should be alone. Very often in literature or cinema you can find works that include several main characters at once. Such a move gives the work a peculiar flavor.
Conclusion
The article discussed the main points of view that help to understand the meaning of the word "hero". Based on different contexts and time frames, one can find numerous interpretations of the said word. This leads to a large number of answers to the question of who a hero is.
